Rep. Connolly: House Dems ‘Ready and Able to Resist’ GOP in Defunding Obamacare

Washington (CNSNews.com) – Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said that Congressional Republicans should go ahead and proceed with efforts to repeal and defund Obamacare but that Democrats would be successful in blocking their efforts.

CNSNews.com asked Connolly this question: “Republican congressman Steve King of Iowa has proposed including a provision in every appropriations bill that would prohibit money from that bill funding implementation of Obamacare in that bill. I wanted to get your thoughts on this as a tactic that the Republcans might use to defund the bill.”

“They’ve got the majority, good for them in trying,” Connolly said. “I think they will find the Democrats ready and able to resist those efforts.”

But when asked if he would oppose any efforts at defunding, Connolly replied: “Yes, I will oppose any. I supported health-care reform and still do.”

Connolly, who was reelected to a second term by a thin margin last November, says that he still supports the health care reform bill passed last March and will oppose any efforts to repeal or defund the legislation.

Congressional Democrats passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and President Barack Obama signed it into law in March 2010.

In a Jan. 3 interview with CNSNews.com’s Editor-in-Chief Terry Jeffrey, King said that House Republicans should include language that prohibits any funding for implementation of Obamacare in every appropriations bill that passes this year to force a showdown on the issue with the Democratic-majority Senate and the president.

“Somebody’s going to blink,” King said in the interview. “It’ll be President Obama or it’ll be House Republicans. If House Republicans refuse to blink, we will succeed,” he said.

“Obamacare will never become the effective law of the land and we’ll be able to leave a legacy of liberty for the future generations.” Under King’s plan, congressional Republicans would first force a straight up-or-down vote on repealing Obamacare in the House and Senate. They would then follow that by inserting language into all appropriations bills that says no money from the bill(s) can be used to implement the federal health care program.